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The Kokutaku range of rubber are a collaborative effort
between the Japanese company Kokutaku, and the Chinese company Tuttle. Although
the rubbers are manufactured in China, they are obviously under the quality
control constraints of their Japanese partner, as the quality of these rubbers
are outstanding, and among the best we’ve seen. All the rubbers that we carry
employ their Explosion III technology, which is designed to offer explosive
power on higher impact strokes. The Chinese topsheet and PREMIUM quality
Japanese and German sponges combine to produce a tacky rubber with a euro type
feel.
A variant of the popular Kokutaku 007 range of rubbers. A
tacky topsheet with a medium soft
premium quality Japanese sponge. The tacky topsheet gives it great control in
the short game, while the Japanese sponge and the Explosion III technology offer
enough power for an attack. The 007 is a little more speed oriented compared to
the 868, but still offers plenty of spin and control. On high impact it feels it
has a catapult-like effect, offer greater speed with little effort.
It is suitable for more for a controlled attacking style
game, but still offers very good control for more defensive strokes. It is known
to respond well to speed glue.
NOTES:
Don't be fooled by the cheap pricetag, these are some of the highest quality
chinese rubbers you'll find. Although he topsheet is tacky, the feel of the
rubber is much more euro-like.
User
Reviews (from internet/newsgroups, etc):
Tulpe/Kokutaku 007 Japanese sponge 40-43deg 2.2mm review
Appearance:
The top sheet of the 007 looks to be of very high quality, the topsheet is
tacky but not as much as some other Chinese rubbers. Its got more of a
"euro" tackiness to it. Meaning its more then grippy but less than the
hair ripping hurricane tackiness. Appearance wise It compares to the 729 top
sheets as the Pip spacing is very similar and they are both horizontally
aligned. Overall the quality of the Topsheet is top notch.
The sponge on the 007 isnt all that hard and its
around 42ish degree's. Being a white Japanese sponge its got some spring to it.
So I think the hardness is just right, any softer and It will be too mushy. Its
a very high quality and light sponge with very fine pores.
Pushing/Flipping:
Needless to say its excellent in this category, pushes and flips can be done
quite easily due to the top sheet. It also allows you to impart very heavy spin
over the table when pushing. Flipping is also quite easy as long as you
accommodate for the tacky top sheet. If your timing is slow, the ball can be
easily dumped in the net because of the tackiness.
Counterhitting/Blocking:
Nothing special here either. When counter hitting and blocking, rebound
speed is a major factor. The rebound speed for the 007 is fairly acceptable
compared to other stiffer and dead Chinese rubbers out there. For hitting it
isn't all that spectacular and does what its meant to do. The same applies for
blocking, Very stable and controlled feeling.
Looping/Loop driving/Counterlooping:
Looping is probably this rubbers standout specialty. It gives a very soft
and insulated feeling when your looping. Although it isn't as crisp as harder
rubbers it gives the same amount of control and spin. The speed on the loops is
very dependent on your stroke as well. If you tend to let the ball sink in and
rely on the rebound speed. The resulting shot will be quite slow with not much
spin. If you use the top sheet to grip the ball and guide it over the net, the
resulting ball will be fairly fast and will produce alot of thrust (kick) when
it lands on the opponents side of the table.
Loopdriving is quite good as well as the rubber holds up
and the harder you hit, the harder it gives. The rubber does have a limit
though, when your about a few meters back you cant expect much as it comes to
the point where the rubber cant give anymore. Its not unexpected as most Chinese
rubbers fail here too.
Mid-distance defence (NEW!):
Quite excellent for long distance chopping. The topsheet grips the ball very
well and you can easily produce floaters or bricks depending on what you like to
do with the ball. What I found very interesting is that it tops out right at the
moment of impact when chopping. This provides incredible control on chops. For
those that are defenders this is a excellent allround rubber that can chop
equally as well as looping.
Conclusion:
Its a great allround rubber that can do everything. What I like about it is
its ability to do all shots consistently. In the past I rarely find rubbers like
this that can do it all. The 007 is highly regarded in my books and you cant go
wrong with it if your a all rounder. For those that are dedicated looper's or
choppers, look elsewhere as there are more specialized rubbers for those
purposes.
The 007 compares to the Higher III very closely. It has a
very similar feel, the only difference separating the two is that the Higher III
is slightly faster and springier.
Speed glued:
I loved the 007 glued up as the Japanese sponge really soaks up the glue
very well. An allround 20% boost in my view.
Review by LawOCG (published with permission)
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